This invention relates to data storage, data mapping, and data packaging.
A data structure is a group of component data variables and/or other structures that are associated with one another in a data storage device. Examples of common data structures include files, lists, arrays, records, trees, tables, and objects. The component data variables and/or other structures can be associated with each other in a number of different ways. For example, an array can include a pointer that identifies a particular data record. The identified data record can itself include a table and a data object.
The associations between components of a data structure can correspond to the relationships between elements of systems and articles. For example, an assembly line can include component workstations that are related by their position along the line. A data structure can include data objects that describe each workstation. The data objects can be associated with one another in a way that corresponds to the position of the workstations along the line. For example, each data object can include an identification of a subsequent workstation in the line.